Reparations
by PrimeBlue
Summary: The eternal winter has melted away, but the pain it brought has not. Anna is trying to find it in her to make peace with Elsa, but it is a struggle, and the rest of the world is wary of the Snow Queen's power. Can Elsa and Anna come together to fix their relationship before it's too late? They better do it fast before the rest of the world intervenes; Violently. Currently rated T.


**Authors Note: **Hey all. This is the first story that I've posted on FanFiction, but not the first I've written. This is not to say I'm a great writer, but I'm working on it. That said, I would be grateful for any and all critique, but please no flames. I don't think that even needs to be said. So, please enjoy my story on what I wish would happen after the end of Frozen.

**Summary: **The never-ending winter has melted away, but the pain it brought with it has not. Anna is trying to find it in her to make peace with Elsa, but it is a struggle, and the rest of the world is wary of the Snow Queen's power. What will this fear do to Arandelle?

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

_SPLASH_

"Princess Anna! Please, you can't go out now! There's a storm brewing!"

One of the palace guards ran out into the courtyard, chasing after the wayward redhead who was storming off into the cloudy night that was promising an onslaught of rain.

Anna didn't turn around. She fled to the palace stables and mounted her steed before galloping out of the gates. Her hair whipped behind her in the gale force winds, but she didn't notice. Her steely blue eyes were set forward but they weren't focused on anything in particular. Instead, an image kept replaying in her head. Elsa's door. Closed. Locked.

She thought that it was over. That maybe Elsa wouldn't have to be isolated again and they could finally be family. But, the door. Closed.

_Did she lie? I thought she would never close her door again._

Locked.

Why did she have to hide away? She had control now. They had found what she needed. Love. Family. A _sister._

_What was it she said? 'Conceal, don't feel.'_

Anna's eyes were filling with tears as she tore out of town, trying to separate herself from the pain. She only wanted to have what they used to have. A family. Love. _Trust._

That's something Anna would never have again. _Trust. _First her parents. They said they would never leave. Then Hans. He said he loved her. Now Elsa. She closed the door. She left.

She didn't have time to place a saddle on her horse and riding bareback was beginning to hurt.

_I could stop at Kristoff's. Stay the night._

She kept riding by the small cottage on the outskirts of Arandelle. Past Sven and Olaf. Past _him._

She loved him.

_I loved Hans too._

She trusted him.

_I trusted Hans. And Elsa._

She didn't look back.

As she crossed into the deep forest outside of Arandelle the rain came down. The pellets slammed into her face and front as she continued riding. The drops hid her tears.

She rode on through the forest. She saw Wandering Oaken's Trading Post.

_I met Kristoff here._

The branches whistled past her face and the wind stung as it slapped against her. But all she knew was the despair. It began as a good day.

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_Anna skipped through the halls and greeted the servants walking through the halls, busy fixing everything that feel into disrepair over the years and what broke during the supernatural winter. Her long dress fluttered around her on every step, making it look like she was floating. And it felt like she was floating._

_Summer was ending. It had been a month since Elsa came back and the ice had melted. A month of fear in the city of Arandelle. The people were terrified that anyone had so much power. Slowly, the citizens began to realize that Elsa had more control and she went out of her way to show it, but fear isn't an easy thing to conquer. No matter how many ice rinks she made, or beautiful displays she created, the people were uneasy. _

_But Anna knew Elsa. She knew that she was kind and peaceful. And the people loved Anna. _

_Lovely Princess Anna, the joy of the city. They trusted her, and she trusted Elsa, so that helped. With Anna's help, most of them began to see Elsa as their Queen, not the witch who froze the country._

_Soon, they would love her. They would see her for who she was._

_Anna's smile grew as she rushed into the Royal dining room and took a seat near the head of the hundred-person table. Near where Elsa would sit._

_She'll be down in…_

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…_

"_Morning Anna. How did you sleep?" Her sister questioned as she took a seat across from Anna._

"_With my eyes shut," Anna answered with a wink as she dove into the platters of food that were brought out with Elsa's arrival._

_The Queen couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto her face as she watched the younger woman reach straight for the dessert rolls without delay. She held her hand up in front of her mouth to stifle a giggle when the tower of biscuits and rolls she collected tumbled down on top of her, one landing on her nose and hanging there._

_Anna gaped for a moment, surprised, then joined in the laughter. It was these moments when she felt at home and comfortable. It was slow going, but Anna was beginning to connect with Elsa. Sometimes by making her laugh, sometimes by making her read a book together, sometimes just by curling up next to her by a warm fire and sitting in silence._

_Everyday they became closer and the kingdom became more accepting._

'_Maybe we can have a happily ever after. We've had our share of pain."_

_She should have known it wouldn't last._

_A servant came forward during their meal to take away their plates. Well, plural for Anna, Elsa didn't eat nearly as much._

_The man reached forward and grabbed the stack of plates and silverware Anna had been using and began to move away when he tumbled down with a crash._

_Anna and Elsa stood up rapidly, surprised. The two rushed over to the fallen man and tried to check if he was ok, but before they could even reach him, they saw the knife plunged into his chest and the pool of blood growing before their eyes. _

_Anna fell backwards, shouting in surprise, and landed on top of Elsa._

"_GUARDS!" Elsa yelled. The two picked themselves up and their eyes darted all around trying to find the culprit. They stood back to back, looking and waiting, but no one came. Not the killer and not the guards._

"_GUARDS!" she yelled again, but there was no response._

_Elsa crept forward slowly to the main door into the dining room. She held a wisp of ice in her hand ready to act if anything happened. Step by step she approached the door before stopping. _

"_There should be guards right outside," she said to Anna, who had remained where she was, holding a chair out in front of her for protection._

"_Where would they be?" Anna whimpered, huddling closer to the chair._

_Elsa didn't reply, instead, she slowly pushed open the door. The door opened fully and the bodies of the two guards who were outside fell the other ground in front of her._

_She stifled a scream as she knelt down to check the men. Her hand reached out slowly, shaking as she placed her fingers against the men's' necks, hoping for a pulse. She remained still, feeling carefully, hoping against hope to feel anything. She held her breath and was about to move away when she saw the man's chest rise. _

_Elsa let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She quickly glanced quickly over at the other guard and saw that he was breathing so she stood up and stepped over the men._

_As soon as she exited the room she heard Anna shriek from behind her. Terror welled up inside her as she turned around to see what had happened._

_The light glinted off the blade that the man held to Anna's neck. The cold metal dug harshly into Anna's pale skin, created a deep gouge and beginning to draw blood. Elsa felt a stab in her heart at the sight as her hands dropped to the side. She knew she couldn't reach the man without hitting Anna as well._

"_Oh. Hello, _Queen _Elsa." The man's voice was dripping with disgust and his free hand began to reach downwards, rubbing Anna. _

_Anna's eyes widened and she gasped a little when his hand reached a little too low and stayed there._

_Elsa's eyed narrowed in contempt as she imagined all the different ways she wanted to murder this man. Ice began spreading at her feet and the room's temperature dropped down low._

"_Ah, ah, you wouldn't want anything to happen to dear old Anna, would you?" the man asked as he gripped Anna tighter, drawing even more blood._

_A few deep breaths and the ice began to recede, but Elsa's fury did not. "What do you want?" she questioned in an acidic tone._

"_Why such hatred?" The man laughed, "I just want to help the kingdom. And right now, there is a monster on the throne. What else to do but _kill _it!"_

_She fell onto her knees. 'This is because of me. The death, the pain, Anna. This is because of me.' Elsa couldn't bear to look into Anna's eyes, knowing that she was the reason the man was there in the first place._

"_Elsa…" Anna muttered, "Help me…"_

_Sobs racked her chest. She couldn't even save her own sister. She would watch her die before her own eyes. All the promises of spending a lifetime together would be meaningless._

"_Ohhhh… I'm going to enjoy this," the assailant leered, alternating his glance between Anna and Elsa. His hand began to reach up again, but this time he was grabbing onto Anna's dress, dragging the hem above her knees, to her thighs. _

_As his hand pulled higher, the fire reignited inside Elsa and she shot to her feet. At the same moment, Anna's kicked back with her leg and slammed the heel of her foot into a pair of family jewels. The man collapsed to his knees and Anna forced herself out of his grip, slightly cutting her neck and ripping her dress in his hands at the same time._

_Anna rushed away, trying to reach Elsa and safety but the man had recovered enough to realize what was happening and hurled the knife through the air, directly at her back._

_Time slowed down for Anna as she turned her head and stared at the oncoming blade. The sun reflected off the side as it seemed to slow down and her life flashed before her eyes. She saw the endless winter and Elsa's isolation. She saw her parents' funeral and the empty palace. A voice crept into her head that sung, "Do you want to build a snowman…"_

_Suddenly, a rush of images filled her mind. Memories that she didn't know she had. She saw herself and Elsa playing in the snow, indoors. She realized these were the memories that were taken from her as a child. Her emotions overwhelmed her and she knew she would never see her sister again._

_The train of memories came crashing to a halt as the knife clattered to the floor beside Anna. She glanced at the blade in wonder and saw that it was encased in a block of ice and had been shot away from her._

_Anna turned and stared at Elsa who had her arms outstretched toward Anna, relief evident on her face when she saw she had succeeded. The two met eyes and they began to rush towards each other. But before the two could take comfort in each other's arms, Elsa watched as Anna collapsed in on herself._

_Elsa watched in horror as Anna's legs crumpled and her head hit the stone floor with a resounding crack. The older woman felt a sob creeping out of the back of her throat and she gasped for air. Her eyes burned as she stared at the sight in front of her. Everything became tinted in red when she saw the assailant standing again, with a chair in his hands, blood dripping off the wood._

_Her vision narrowed and she glared with absolute rage at the man. All she could think about was Anna. How every time she was hurt, Elsa was the cause. Elsa's emotions took control of her as her blood began to boil and her hand clenched tight enough to draw blood from her palm. It was her duty to protect Anna and this man was in the way. She had never killed before but at that moment, all she could think about was murder. _

_Once again, ice crept from her body to the floor. Frost covered the ground and stalagmites burst from the floor, almost spearing the man before he could react. A wild snowstorm began to swirl around Elsa as she took a step forward and reached out her arms so that they were pointed directly at the intruder._

_The man watched in terror as spirals of ice began to circle the Queen's arms and the biting cold began to freeze him solid. He realized too late that attempting to assassinate the Queen and Princess was not his brightest idea. This was not to say that he no longer hated her, but just that he was too hasty. His last thought before a spear of ice was flung through his heart was that his brothers would avenge him._

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_Anna remembered waking up in the medical wing after that ordeal. The doctors were hovering around her and the servants were bustling in the back to get them everything they needed._

"_Elsa…" she croaked. One of the maids quickly handed her glass of water that she grasped in her shaking hands. She brought the drink up to her mouth and took a generous drink, but she was too tired and the rest of the water spilled down her front as the cup almost slipped out of her hand._

_Anna glanced around again, hoping to sight her sister's blonde hair in the crowd. She grew desperate when she didn't see Elsa anywhere, worried that she may have been hurt as well after she was knocked out._

"_Please, where's Elsa?" she questioned the doctor by her bedside._

"_She is in her chambers, Princess Anna," he replied, before rushing off to collect more medicine._

_Anna's heart constricted at those words. Elsa was supposed to be by her side. Why would she leave her? Her mind rushed through the possibilities and all she could think was that Elsa must not care. Why would she? They hadn't spoke in 10 years and she had been fine, why would Elsa want to see her now? _

_Eyelids began to droop as she pondered. Her breathing lightened and the tears stopped flowing as she fell into a deep sleep._

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_When she woke again, the hospital was silent. There were no doctors of servants wandering the room, only her. When she had woken up earlier, she had been too preoccupied to realize, but her neck was incredibly sore. She reached up with her hand and felt for her skin, but only touched rough bandages covering where she remembered she was cut. Slowly, she massaged the wound with her fingers, trying to remove some of the dull pain from the area._

_Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the morning, or what she remembered as this morning, and her cut started to throb again even with the massage. _

_With shaking legs, Anna lifted herself out of the bed and attempted to stand upright. It was slow going, but she supported herself with the wall and took a few cautionary steps forward to test her strength. As her knees buckled and she got lightheaded, she knew she wouldn't be able to make it to Elsa's room on her own, but she had to try. Anna had seen the look on her face as she listened to the man speak about his motivations and his plans for the both of them. The look in Elsa's eyes had been enough to devastate Anna, and she knew Elsa needed support._

_It was a long walk to the residential wing of the palace, especially when Anna could hardly make use of her legs, but there was a burning fire in her that pushed her even when her legs began to give out from beneath her. Each step was another mile and each hallway was another mountain. But she endured, if only for her sister. _

_After what felt like hours, she crumpled in front of Elsa's door. Each painted snowflake illuminated itself and she was captivated. If she stared long enough, she could imagine them falling down the panel of wood, as if Elsa was manipulating them as she always did. The longing inside her grew; she needed to see her sister. She needed to talk to her and release these emotions inside of her._

"_Elsa, I know you're in there," she began, sliding her hand against the closed door. It felt so similar to the past. "I'm right out here for you, just let me in…"_

_There was no reply from inside, but Anna thought she heard a sniffle and a sigh. Her silence pained her, it was like a stab through the heart. She wanted Elsa to trust her with the pain and she wanted something different than isolation._

"_We only have each other," she sobbed, "so please, just let me in…" _

"_Go away, Anna."_

_Anna's head lifted when she heard her sister's voice, but it fell just as quickly when she realized what she said. _

"_Please, I just want to speak with you. I saw you in the dining room. I saw your pain. Don't hide away from me, Elsa, I can help you." Anna turned away and stated as an after thought, "And me…"_

_Behind the closed door, Elsa was muttering to herself, "Conceal, don't feel." Her gloved hands rubbed together but the frost began to spring around her. She knew she couldn't hold it back much longer if the emotions continued to range around her. "Anna! Just leave! I don't need you here."_

_Anna stumbled back in shock. "I thought… I thought we were closer, Elsa. I thought that I meant something to you. But now, now you're going back to how it used to be. You promised you would never close the doors again and you're breaking YOUR PROMISES!"_

_The doors trembled with the force of the yell and Elsa's eyes widened. As Anna got progressively louder, her arms began to uncross until, finally, her hands shot out and spikes of ice sprang from the ground all around her. Her stress was relieved, but she never realized that the ice didn't only form around her. The ice generated outside of the room as well._

_From Anna's perspective, it seemed as if Elsa was trying to get rid of her. The spikes sprouted in front of her face, almost stabbing her and in her enraged state of mind, the only reason for such an event was if Elsa had intended it. Suddenly, all the pain she had felt and the exhaustion that was wearing her down firm eyes. Eyes that radiated pain and rejection. She didn't speak. She didn't try to understand Elsa._

'_How could I think that Elsa would ever accept me? She separated herself from me. She was so cold and distant. And even when the doors were open and we had a chance for something, she left me.' A rage was building inside of her and it wouldn't die down for anything. Her only feelings were anger and rage. Her mind focused back to when Elsa attacked her in her 'ice palace.'_

_This wasn't the anger that would fester inside until she broke, no, it was the anger that took control. Anna had lived alone for years, so that wasn't the problem. It was that she didn't need to be alone again, but Elsa had chosen to make her alone. The pain of having that ripped away from her was crippling. What ever happened to happily ever after?_

_Anna's eyes steeled themselves and her grip tightened. After a deep breath, she stopped shaking and instead glared at the door for a moment. With a scoff of disgust, hiding her pain, she spun away and stomped through the palace to the main doors. Again, memories of being closed off from the world struck her deep in her heart and she hurriedly pushed open the large doors that used to be the cause of her pain. Anna's gaze shifted towards the sky and she relished in her freedom and solidified her hatred of doors._

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"Come on, faster" Anna urged her horse as she spurred it forward with her heels. The anger she felt was slowly ebbing away and with it came the realization of her own actions. Namely, her overreaction. But, even though she recognized her mistake, she wasn't ready to forgive Elsa. 'Mom always said I was stubborn,' she thought to herself, before the tears leaked out again.

Anna distracted herself with the feeling of her horse galloping down the untrodden path through the dense woods. Her mind felt so distant from what was happening but her body was so in tune with itself that she could feel every pebble the stallion laid its hooves upon. Slowly, her thoughts drifted away as she concentrated on the feeling of the nature that surrounded her. Soon, the trees grew denser and the plants grew unrulier.

This was what she missed most during her extended stay in the palace. Yes, there was a large royal garden, but it was too neat and too small to be as liberating as the real thing.

Red hair whipped in the wind behind her as she lifted her head up and shouted to the heavens to express her joy. Leaves slashed at her face at the high speed she was moving at, but they felt as if they were soft feathers tickling her face.

The horse began to slow but she didn't notice; her mind was filled with ecstasy and nothing else. In fact, it was only when the horse came to a full stop and began whinnying like crazy that the feeling broke and she came back to the real world. Anna glanced around in confusion as to why her steed was acting so strangely when she heard a twig snap loudly behind her.

The wolves tore in like crazed beasts all at once. It came as such a surprise that all she could see was a mass of teeth and yellow eyes. Anna attempted to spur her horse forward, but it was paralyzed in fear, leaving Anna a sitting duck in the saddle. Fingers grasped desperately at the straps and feet kicked furiously at the stirrups in hopes of escaping the constraints in time. Time seemed to slow down as her boot got caught in the metal hook in the stirrups as she began to slide of the animal. Her foot would not come loose and she was left hanging awkwardly off the horse as the wolves rushed forward. All of a sudden, the horse realized its danger and attempted to gallop away as fast as possible, sending jarring pain through Anna's body.

Sadly, the wolves were already too close and too fast for the horse to escape. The pack surrounded the terrified creature and slowly circled it. Anna was still frantically struggling with her foot, but she realized that she was in no position to free her footwear, so she took the only option available to her. She forcefully tugged her foot from her boot and landed on the ground with a thud and a wounded ankle from the struggle. A dozen yellow eyes quickly settled on her and paws scrapped against the ground in anticipation.

Her hands reached out, desperately looking for something to hold on to, something to defend herself with. As she scrambled on the ground, the wolves continued approaching until she would swear she could feel their breath drifting over her. She tried to control her own breathing but she failed desperately as her hope began to run out and she started to sob between breaths. Her fingers finally clasped around a branch, but when she looked at it, all it seemed like was a large twig. Even still, she clamped her hands on the stick and squeezed her eyes shut.

Sounds of a galloping horse reached her ears and grew excited, but when she opened her eyes, she saw it was her own horse, trying to make a break for it. Her heart plunged into her stomach as her sole means of escape ran away being chased by almost 10 different wolves. She knew the beasts would soon catch up and tear her horse to shreds, leaving her all alone. But then she noticed that of the original pack, only three had remained behind when the others had broken away to hunt down the horse.

She wouldn't call it hope, but there was definitely relief evident on her face as she realized that there was a chance for survival. That is, until the lead wolf took a step forward and the others followed. It may have been less of them, but they still outnumbered her and were many times stronger. Anna took short, gasping breaths and she prayed to the old gods to send her a miracle. _Haven't I suffered enough? I endured isolation from my own family. I endured the pain of fake love from a man who attempted to steal our kingdom. What more can you ask of me? Do you wish for this to be the end, and that I should die here? Alone? Like I have always been…_

When she saw no sign from the celestial beings she resolved to take matters into her own hands, literally. She grabbed her branch and held it out in front of her protectively, prepared to strike at whichever wolf pounced at her. Furred legs coiled and mouths opened to show sharp, yellow teeth. Just as she moved her arms back to prepare to swing her makeshift sword, she heard a booming snap from above and watched in stupefied confusion as a large limb from the towering treetops and came crashing down on two of the wolves, hitting one on the head, killing it and trapping the other under its enormous weight. Anna and the remaining wolf stared for a few moments, not quite understanding what had just happened. Both slowly returned to reality, but Anna was faster. Just as the still standing wolf turned to look at her, her branch came crashing down on his head. A sharp, protruding portion of the branch that Anna hadn't noticed stabbed into the animal's skull, instantly killing it as the spike connected with the brain.

Her vision swam and everything faded red. Wait. That wasn't just her. That's blood. Anna stared at the pooling liquid in fright and see saw her own distorted reflection staring back at her with red eyes and a vicious face. The wolf twitched as it passed away and Anna couldn't look away.

"I killed it. I- I…" Anna took a few stumbling steps away from the carnage but tripped over the bodies of the other wolves who were crushed under the limb. The wolf that had survived was weak and slowly fading.

She didn't think, she just did. Somehow she lifted the branch with strength she didn't know she had and tugged the dying wolf from underneath. _Perhaps I can still save this one, _she thought.

Anna knelt down in the mud and shifted her arms underneath the wounded beast and braced herself to lift the weight. Once she stood up, she braced herself against a tree in order to stand, forgetting about her own ankle. The added weight was making her ankle throb in pain, but she wasn't going to give up on just yet. Feet plodded forward, and she heavily favored her unwounded left ankle and she trekked as a slow pace through the dense woodland. Shrubbery seemed to block every step but whenever she neared a wall of ferns or branched, they seemed to open up for her and let her pass without incident.

Anna carried her burden for what must have been hours through the woods, up hills and through fields of deep mud, but she did not give up. Finally, the sun broke again on her face and she looked around to find herself in a mystic valley filled with fresh water ponds, vibrant green plants and an enormous tree at the center of a large lake that seemed to reach up to touch the tops of the mountains that surrounded the valley. Birds chirped and sung their songs while flitting through the numerous branches on the trees and little critters seemed to follow them, as if they were dancing a mysterious dance. The grass tickled her bare foot, soothing her pain, and the gentle swell of the water in the lake seemed to welcome her forward.

The water washed up to swallow Anna as she moved forward but before she was too deep her feet made contact with a gigantic root from the tree that gave her a foothold to cross the water. Almost halfway through the lake, the small waves washed up to rinse the wolf in her arms and it relaxed in her arms as if the water had eased its pain.

Her mind in a daze, she finally reached the center of the lake where the enormous tree resided and she collapsed in relief and exhaustion.

Both the wolf and Anna lay still on the soft ground that fertilized the roots that supported the tree and slowly drifted into a slumber filled with pleasant dreams and hope.

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Elsa hadn't moved from her spot, sitting with her back pressed rigidly against the door. She could remember sitting like this many times before, whenever Anna would ask to build a snowman. She knew that she couldn't stay like this forever, she knew she would have to go outside, but the was the embodiment of ice and that seemed to mean that she was a private person. She loved Anna like nothing else, but the expression of that emotion was so difficult and so _alien _to her that she didn't realize what she did wrong until much later. Like right now. The grief hung over her and she wanted more than anything to tell Anna that, but to do that she had to confront the world and the danger that she brought down on her precious people just by being _alive._

It wasn't easy to accept that she needed to change and open herself up, but she resolved that was what she was going to do. With a deep breath that condensed in the air in front of her, she lifted herself up. Her fingers closed on the ice-cold handle on her door, but the cold had never bothered her, and pushed it open.

Elsa began her walk to Anna's room, knowing that she wouldn't have gone back to the hospital after the fight they had last night. The hallways seemed to extend forever and each step brought her no closer to her destination. It seemed like an eternity before she reached Anna's door and she prepared to knock when she saw that the door wasn't actually closed. Slowly, she opened the door slightly more, hoping to see Anna inside, but instead, it was an empty room devoid of any life. She moved into the bedroom and reached her hand out to stroke Anna's bed, hoping for some comfort, but fate had something else in mind.

"My Lady! There you are," the servant called out in relief, "We have been looking for you. Last night, Princess Anna rode out of the castle and she has not returned. We were hoping you might know where she has gone. There was a horrible storm last night and she might have been hurt."

The Queen's heart constricted and she sat down on Anna's bed to steady herself.

"Ready my horse. I will be visiting Kristoff."


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